Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
Health promotion and ill-health prevention: the role of general practice
Stephen Peckham1, Alison Hann, Tammy Boyce
1Department of Health Services Research and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Background:
This paper reports on research undertaken for the King's Fund inquiry into quality in general practice and examines the health promotion role of the general practitioner.
Methods:
Literature review of health promotion in general practice focusing on smoking cessation, childhood immunisation, coronary heart disease (CHD) and obesity. In addition the paper draws on interviews with practice and public health staff.
Results:
General practitioners (GPs) and their practice teams have a crucial role in promoting health and preventing disease. Consultations provide an ideal opportunity for preventing illness and disease but general practice focuses primarily on secondary prevention. Many GPs state they lack the skills needed to deliver effective health promotion.
Conclusions:
Issues, such as GP commissioning, provide a new set of challenges for public health and ill-health prevention. The evidence base is growing but general practice, public health and academics need to work together to improve this.
Related Concept Videos
Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...
Preventive Healthcare Services
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results from...
Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...
Lifestyle Factors and Health
Benefits of Physical Activity
Physical activity, whether through structured exercise or casual activities like walking, biking, or dancing, is a cornerstone of a...